— 81 — 



When the king goes out, his carriage, which is made of different 

 kinds of fragrant wood, is drawn by an elephant. On the top of it is a flat 

 canopy of feathers and it has embroidered curtains on both sides. People 

 blowing conches and beating drums precede and follow him. 



The king's family name is Kaundinya ( J ) and he never before had 

 any intercourse with China. When asked about their ancestors or about 

 their age, they do not know it, but they say that the wife of S'uddhöda- 

 na ( 2 ) was a woman from their country. 



In the year 518 they sent an envoy to present a letter of the follow. 

 ing contents: //We humbly enjoy that the holy prince (of China) believes 

 //in the three gems and has erected pagodas and temples, beautiful, large 

 //and imposing, fUling the whole land. The roads of his country are large 

 //and even , clean and without filth ; terraces and halls abound every where , 

 //resembling the palaces of Heaven, grand, beautiful and mysterious, the 

 //world has nothing to compare with them. When the holy king (of China) 

 //goes out , numerous soldiers surround him on all sides and feathery banners 

 //are about him every where. The people in the capital are well dressed; the 

 //shops are abounding and rich, filled with valuable articles; the kings insti- 

 //tutions are excellent and there is no thieving. Students collect from all sides 

 //to study the three conveyances (triyana), and the preaching of the true law 

 //goes over the whole world and comes to all kingdoms as an overshadowing 

 //cloud or as a penetrating rain. The course of his teaching is like a large 

 //river full of water, pure, cool, deep and large; all what lives is benefited 

 //by it and it cannot be defiled. In his country the forces of nature are well 

 //balanced and no disasters strike it. 



//The holy king at Yang-chow in the great country of Liang has no 

 //equal: with paternal love and sympathy he rules over his country, treating 

 //and fostering all mankind as his children, feeling with them in their diffi- 

 //culties, making no difference between friend and foe, relieving those that 

 //are destitute and not hoarding for his own benefit. He shines on every 

 //thing, as the liglit of the sun; all rejoice in him, as in the bright moon. 



O El £v 3E • ^ s Kaundinya was the maternal uncle and S'uddliödana the fathei* of 



Buddha, it would seem that the princes of this country were immigrants from India, who claimed 

 relationship with Buddha and were fervent Buddhists; this may explain the letter to the emperor ol' 

 China of which we suhjoin a translation, though, as we observed before, such letters must he regarded 

 with diffidence. 



6 



